Film What did you watch last night???

[LeadFarmer]

I saw Cavill was in it and decided to give it a go. breaking of the 4th wall was a nice touch in these two films and the acting is on point.

[hansreinhardt]

 

Watched The Godfather Part III last night, the Theatrical Cut. Beautifully shot and scored, and I loved the way it opened. I started losing track of the story after about 1:30:00—it could've just been me? But I tend to feel the narrative really did get murky, so I'm curious to see how Coda changes things.

 

For the most part, the acting was excellent—particularly Pacino and Garcia. It's tough to defend certain aspects of Sofia Coppola's performance, but I don't think she derailed the picture either. I tend to agree with Ebert's original assessment: "I think Sofia Coppola brings a quality of her own to Mary Corleone. A certain up-front vulnerability and simplicity that I think are appropriate and right for the role."

 

Spoilers:

Spoiler

The ending was criminal. The film could not have had a worse ending. I was expecting at least another half-an-hour following Mary Corleone's death, which was truly tragic and hit me like a bus going 60 mph. Pacino's performance in that moment was powerful, mourning the loss of his daughter.

 

Then, it's almost like the budget ran out? Or Francis Ford Coppola got bored? Because following that powerful performance, we randomly skip forward to him much older, sitting on a chair, reminiscing about the good times in life (in a brief, poorly edited montage) and then he just falls over and dies. OH OK, GREAT. Could it have been any more anticlimactic?

 

I also found it annoying that along with Coda's release, the title was changed to "The Death of Michael Corleone." Which I understand is Coppola and Puzo's originally intended title, but as such, it basically spoiled the ending for me. I watched the entirety of the Theatrical Cut with Coda's title in the back of my mind, wondering how Michael Corleone would die.

 

The ending retroactively salted the rest of the film in my eyes. I do intend to watch Coda, and I hope that solves some of my issues with the film, but overall I honestly didn't feel the Theatrical Cut of Part III was a bad picture per se, the ending aside. Stylistically, it fit really well. It just doesn't live up to the extraordinary heights of the first and second films. Coppola's explanation that this is more of an "epilogue" really makes a lot of sense.

 

Edited January 30 by hansreinhardt

[nathan_s82]

We watched thr new 4K Neon Release of Oldboy last night. It was great to revisit this one, I hadn't seen it since 2003 when it came out. 

[Veum]

1 minute ago, nathan_s82 said:

We watched thr new 4K Neon Zreleae of Oldboy last night. It was great to revisit this one, I hadn't seen it since 2003 when it came out. 

 

Just now, nathan_s82 said:

We watched thr new 4K Neon Zreleae of Oldboy last night. It was great to revisit this one, I hadn't seen it since 2003 when it came out. 

 

  😂 

[nathan_s82]

19 minutes ago, Veum said:

 

 

  😂 

I fixed it, doing it from the phone posted it too man times.

[Heywoodmoutaw]

Be a good time to watch Groundhog Day or Run Lola Run.

[Nadam]

7 hours ago, nathan_s82 said:

We watched thr new 4K Neon Release of Oldboy last night. It was great to revisit this one, I hadn't seen it since 2003 when it came out. 

 

I am really excited to finally watch this for the first time possibly this week. It seems like an awesome movie. 

[hansreinhardt]

 

After watching the behemoths that are The Godfather the last few days, I needed something with a shorter runtime... been staying up too late. 

 

This movie was so much fun. 

 

PTA is firing on all cylinders here, as is Adam Sandler. Sandler is so much more versatile than a lot of folks give him credit, as evidenced recently in Uncut Gems. I don't recall seeing Emily Watson in much, but her performance was a pleasant surprise, she's clearly a very talented actor.

 

Loved the visual style: the flares, the sterile framing, the stark set design. The way Anderson moves the camera based on character motivation, instead of character movement, is so fascinating. The mix of comedy and drama really adds up to an effortless 90 minutes. 

 

This might be my favorite Jonny Greenwood score too. His stuff is always so unique and surprising, and keeps the pacing and tension in check without dominating the sound mix. It's almost more an extension of the production design than it is music. (EDIT: I guess Jon Brion scored this. Fooled me!) 

 

And Philip Seymour Hoffman? Legend. 

 

Edited January 31 by hansreinhardt
got the composer wrong, gonna go beat myself with klingon pain sticks now

[Nadam]

Finally watched "Kindergarten Cop" 4K last night, and without going into crazy detail (since I am writing this during downtime at work), I have to say the transfer is splendid! No real DNR used, the film grain is well taken care of without being mostly noticeable (which I ALWAYS prefer), the colors from HDR are good, and the audio was solid for the most part (handled dialogue beautifully!). There was a slight glitch in the music though that my Wife & I caught which had to have come from the transfer, as it was only for a few seconds, and then we never heard it again. 

[Veum]

🥤 🍿 🎬 📀

 

 

 

*Relentless (1948) ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 

 

Framed for a murder he didn't commit, a cowboy must stay one step ahead of the law as he hunts for the real killer.

 

[hansreinhardt]

 

Can a film be too fantastical? 

 

Terry Gilliam's "Time Bandits" started out very strong with a fascinating premise, but quickly went downhill. I had an intensely difficult time remaining engaged in the story, finally falling asleep around 1:30:00 into the film. 

 

Could it have been the wrong choice last night? Maybe. I want to give it another shot, not ready to throw in the towel yet on this one. Gilliam's prowess as a filmmaker is undeniable, and all of the technical aspects were outstanding to my eye. 

 

[LeadFarmer]

absolutely love these two films. the dialogue and especially the cheesy exaggerated movements during fights are most certainly entertaining.  

[LeadFarmer]

12 hours ago, hansreinhardt said:

 

Can a film be too fantastical? 

 

Terry Gilliam's "Time Bandits" started out very strong with a fascinating premise, but quickly went downhill. I had an intensely difficult time remaining engaged in the story, finally falling asleep around 1:30:00 into the film. 

 

Could it have been the wrong choice last night? Maybe. I want to give it another shot, not ready to throw in the towel yet on this one. Gilliam's prowess as a filmmaker is undeniable, and all of the technical aspects were outstanding to my eye. 

 

I've seen the film once and said then I needed to watch it again to really let it soak in. I'd like to pick up that criterion set.

[Nadam]

Just finished my first viewing of Oldboy, and good lord that was a messed-up and depressing ending. The acting was top notch, the soundtrack was great, the scene transitions were wonderfully creative, and the story was an insane ride. Fantastic film overall, and highly recommend it!
 

 

[Heywoodmoutaw]

13 hours ago, hansreinhardt said:

 

Can a film be too fantastical? 

 

Terry Gilliam's "Time Bandits" started out very strong with a fascinating premise, but quickly went downhill. I had an intensely difficult time remaining engaged in the story, finally falling asleep around 1:30:00 into the film. 

 

Could it have been the wrong choice last night? Maybe. I want to give it another shot, not ready to throw in the towel yet on this one. Gilliam's prowess as a filmmaker is undeniable, and all of the technical aspects were outstanding to my eye. 

 

I like this one, but feel almost exactly the way you do about this one when it comes to Baron Munchausen.  So many things done well, somehow fails to reach me.

[Gary K]

19 hours ago, hansreinhardt said:

 

Can a film be too fantastical? 

 

Terry Gilliam's "Time Bandits" started out very strong with a fascinating premise, but quickly went downhill. I had an intensely difficult time remaining engaged in the story, finally falling asleep around 1:30:00 into the film. 

 

Could it have been the wrong choice last night? Maybe. I want to give it another shot, not ready to throw in the towel yet on this one. Gilliam's prowess as a filmmaker is undeniable, and all of the technical aspects were outstanding to my eye. 

 

Definitely give it a rewatch as the ending set piece pulls all the threads together in a deeply satisfying way.  
 

love this one.

[hansreinhardt]

11 hours ago, LeadFarmer said:

I've seen the film once and said then I needed to watch it again to really let it soak in. I'd like to pick up that criterion set.

11 hours ago, Heywoodmoutaw said:

I like this one, but feel almost exactly the way you do about this one when it comes to Baron Munchausen.  So many things done well, somehow fails to reach me.

4 hours ago, Gary K said:

Definitely give it a rewatch as the ending set piece pulls all the threads together in a deeply satisfying way.  
 

love this one.

 

I picked up the Criterion standard BD, and honestly it may as well be a 4K disc—sans HDR. It looks incredible! Encoding looked rock solid to my eye, despite what I'm seeing on caps-a-holic. 

 

I haven't seen Baron Munchausen yet, but I've always been curious about this one too. 

 

I'm definitely planning to give this one a rewatch, and I think I'll use subtitles next time to sort of force me into the story. Sometimes I get way too distracted by the cinematography, production design, editing, etc. It's like highway hypnosis, I end up thinking about HOW things were accomplished that I forget there's a story unfolding before me, and next thing I know it's 30 minutes later. 

 

 

[Nadam]

I am ashamed to admit this, but I still need to watch Time Bandits, as I have never seen it before. 

[Veum]

16 minutes ago, Nadam said:

I am ashamed to admit this, but I still need to watch Time Bandits, as I have never seen it before. 

 

I think I tried and lost interest 🤷‍♂️ 

[hansreinhardt]

 

Early Stanley Kubrick is something I haven't really ventured into before, but I'm a big fan of everything from Lolita onward. He could do no wrong in my book. 

 

Except for maybe The Killing. Buckle up, spoilers and a novel to follow.

 

So all said and done, I enjoyed this film and it really came together at the end. And man, what an ending. The final image is positively haunting; the way the music swells and the cops close in. My heart skipped several beats when the suitcase falls off the transport, and all the money is lost to the wind.

 

Kubrick's impeccable sense of photography never faltered either, and that's plenty evident in The Killing. Beautiful cinematography.

 

Here's the thing—there's a lot of good here. Once the heist comes into focus, it's truly engaging. But Kubrick clearly hadn't quite figured out his groove yet. Sterling Hayden may as well be reading a script just off camera. No one talks with any sense of realism, it's akin to Aaron Sorkin dialogue without fast-paced editing to mask it. There's too much reliance on master shots, too much music over dialogue, and the narration is an odd choice.

 

The Killing is dated in a way that his later films aren't. It's surprisingly sloppy in places: take for example the opening scene. George Peatty is handed details on a piece of paper, and we see a closeup of him copying the information down, but in that closeup he hurriedly scribbles a squiggly line instead of actually writing language. The attention to detail that Kubrick has become known for isn't really present at this time. 

 

And can we blame him? Having disowned Fear and Desire, this is essentially his second film, and it's truly an outstanding sophomore effort, but it just can't escape being a product of its time. I think this'll land on steadier ground the second time around. 

 

(P.S. I also feel like they could've found a better title) 

 

 

[Heywoodmoutaw]

2 hours ago, hansreinhardt said:

 

I picked up the Criterion standard BD, and honestly it may as well be a 4K disc—sans HDR. It looks incredible! Encoding looked rock solid to my eye, despite what I'm seeing on caps-a-holic. 

 

I haven't seen Baron Munchausen yet, but I've always been curious about this one too. 

 

I'm definitely planning to give this one a rewatch, and I think I'll use subtitles next time to sort of force me into the story. Sometimes I get way too distracted by the cinematography, production design, editing, etc. It's like highway hypnosis, I end up thinking about HOW things were accomplished that I forget there's a story unfolding before me, and next thing I know it's 30 minutes later. 

 

 

I do the opposite.  On a first watch, I’m so focused on plot that I don’t pay enough mind to little things, grace notes, subtle humor.  The Coen Brothers, for instance, always really click for me on the 2nd watch.  I enjoy the heck out of the first watch, but the 2nd watch is what puts one in the pantheon.

[Nadam]

Just finished my first movie of the day: 

 

 

Now, onto movie #2: 

 

[hansreinhardt]

53 minutes ago, Nadam said:

Just finished my first movie of the day: 

 

 

I lucked out one night and was able to see a test audience screening of The Green Knight about five months before it was released. 

 

It was interesting because the screener was a low-bitrate encode that looked horrendous. I didn't care for the film when it was all said and done, but I also saw an incomplete project. I provided a bunch of notes on my screener card, doubt they made any impact but I was pretty harsh on it at the time 🤣 But the thing I did immediately appreciate about it was the incredible atmosphere it portrayed. It really was an unnerving experience, and even in its low-quality, unfinished state, the visuals and sound were top notch. 

 

What did you think of this one, did you like it? Worth revisiting? 

 

Edited February 2 by hansreinhardt

[Nadam]

1 hour ago, hansreinhardt said:

 

I lucked out one night and was able to see a test audience screening of The Green Knight about five months before it was released. 

 

It was interesting because the screener was a low-bitrate encode that looked horrendous. I didn't care for the film when it was all said and done, but I also saw an incomplete project. I provided a bunch of notes on my screener card, doubt they made any impact but I was pretty harsh on it at the time 🤣 But the thing I did immediately appreciate about it was the incredible atmosphere it portrayed. It really was an unnerving experience, and even in its low-quality, unfinished state, the visuals and sound were top notch. 

 

What did you think of this one, did you like it? Worth revisiting? 

 

 

To be honest, I really enjoyed it. It definitely was a bit over the place with random phrases on screen at random points in font that was a bit hard to read, but I thoroughly loved the creativity behind all of it. The audio sounded great, and the 4K transfer is outstanding. 

[Gary K]

2 hours ago, Nadam said:

Just finished my first movie of the day: 

 

 

Now, onto movie #2: 

 

I’m a big Django fan.  The Arrow 4K is fantastic.